Did the bearded, gruff, brute of a man just reference an erotic romance novel? I open my mouth to respond, but Opal interrupts before I can. “Go work on the cakes, honey,” she says. “You can get ahead and not be scrambling at the last minute to get Chloe. We’re all set with training.”
Opal opens the refrigerated case and begins pulling cupcakes out to show Killian the different kinds. “Now we always keep the basic cupcakes every day, but the special flavors rotate, depending on what Lily comes up with.”
I walk to the kitchen, shaking my head. I can't believe I just let them talk me into hiring Killian Saint.
The rationalizing part of me kicks into overdrive. It would be nice to have an extra pair of hands around here. And having Killian work here couldn't possibly be worse than the previous front-counter girl, whose work ethic was questionable at best. I’ll just have to keep my libido under control.
I don’t hear a peep out of Killian or Opal for the next few hours, and I lose myself in baking, mixing the special batches of cupcakes for tomorrow and applying the fondant to my sculpted cake. The Rogers kid wants a mermaid this time – a fully-sculpted three-dimensional mermaid – on top of a cake that’s decorated to look like the ocean, complete with ocean creatures. That’s after the cakes that she already rejected a blue leopard-printed and bejeweled tier cake, and a three-dimensional ballerina cake made to look like a leotard and tutu.
“I didn’t realize when you said you baked cakes that you were really talking about sculpture." Killian stands just inside the swinging door to the kitchen.
“They are like sculptures,” I agree.
“So all of this is cake?” Killian asks. When he walks around to my side of the workspace, my heart skips a beat, all too aware of his proximity to me. Why does he have to smell so damn good? His smell – a hundred percent masculine contrasts with the overly sugar-sweet smells in the kitchen.
“Not quite. The mermaid is made mostly of marshmallow rice treats and modeling chocolate. She has a PVC pipe frame underneath all of that so the whole thing doesn’t collapse.”
“Well, fuck.” Killian bends over to examine the cake more closely.
Hearing this man speak that word sends heat racing through my body, and I clear my throat. Killian doesn’t seem to notice, though. He just stands there, scrutinizing. “It’s not done yet,” I say lamely.
Of course it’s not done yet, Lily. It’s obvious that it’s not finished. Why do I sound like such an idiot around this guy?
“What do you do next?” Killian asks. He genuinely sounds interested.
“I’ll freeze it tonight, and then tomorrow morning, I'll finish the mermaid and paint details on the ocean and add the sea creatures."
"So you’re going to make everything yourself?” Killian asks.
“Well, I’ve made some of it already. Here, I’ll show you.” I walk to the freezer and take out a tray that holds little three-dimensional coral pieces and fish that I’ve already decorated.
“Holy shit. That’s pretty detailed.”
"It's a good bit of work," I acknowledge, shrugging. "But I like it. It's relaxing."
“Where did you learn to do all of this?”
I shrug. “My mother made cakes. I helped her a lot when I was a kid, and then after Adam ”
I stop suddenly as a surge of heat rises to my face. I don’t want to talk about my dead husband. Killian looks at me funny, and I quickly turn away to hide my flush, walking back to the counter and sliding my hands under the board the cake rests on. I clear my throat. “Employee-training going well?”
“Best part of my day."
I snort. “I’m sure. Can you open the freezer for me?”
Killian holds the door open while I slide the cake back into the freezer. “I like a woman who knows her way around a kitchen.”
Spinning around, I face him with my hands on my hips. “How is it that you say a couple of nice things and then revert back to being a misogynistic ass?”
“I’m a man of many talents.” Killian grins, looking overly pleased with himself, and I realize he’s just saying stuff like that to ruffle my feathers.
Well, he’s not ruffling my feathers, that’s all there is to it.
“One of those talents must be getting on people’s nerves." I loosen the tie on my apron and hang it on the hook, glancing up at the clock. For once I’m not rushing like a madwoman to go pick up Chloe because I was helping out in the front of the store. That also means that for the first time in a while, I won't have to return back to the store after picking her up, just to finish a cake. I admit, that could be a perk of having Killian here.
You know there could be other perks to having Killian in the store.
I push that thought right out of my head.
Killian laughs, the sound echoing through the space in the kitchen. His laugh is deep and warm, and it immediately makes me smile, like some kind of involuntary reflex. “I’ll grow on you."
“Like a disease, I assume.”
“Hopefully a sexually-transmitted one."
“It’s such a turn-on when guys talk about growing on me like STDs,” I say, turning to leave.
Killian pauses for a second, looking off into the distance.